The Shanghai Zoo is a pretty good zoo to visit with your family, especially if you have small children. If you're worried about your kids being traumatized by the treatment of the animals or the state of their enclosures, don't be. The Shanghai Zoo is a decent place with large green areas to run and play in and plenty for kids to do and see.

Visitor's Information

Name in Chinese: 上海动物园Entry Fee: 40rmb - adults / less for students and free for kids under 1.3mHours of Operation: Daily 6:30am-5pmAddress: 2381 Hongqiao Road near Hami Road | 红桥路2381号Metro: Shanghai Zoo (上海动物园) station, Line 10

Facilities

Snack shops and restaurants - but the food is not terribly nice and tends more to the junk food area like instant noodles and hot dogs. We'd advise bringing your own sandwiches and snacks with you. Water and other soft drinks are readily available so there's no need to bring this along.

Gift shops

Amusement rides & games

Petting zoo

Wheelchair/Stroller Friendly

Generally, this area is rather considerate to those bound to wheelchairs or families using strollers. There are places, like the Reptile House, where there are no lifts. We'd advise those in wheelchairs to give the Reptile House a miss. Strollers will have to be carried up and down stairs. Otherwise, for the vast majority of the park, the paths are wide and smooth and very easy to maneuver anything that has wheels.

Animals and Birds

The Shanghai Zoo is home to a huge amount of animals and birds. Some of our favorite exhibits are the flamingos, the giraffes, the elephants, the pandas and the tigers. There are a number of apes and monkeys. The gorilla indoor enclosure allows for close viewing, as does the chimpanzee indoor enclosure.

Feeding times are at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. so if you're around at this time, you might be able to see some interesting action.

What to Expect at the Shanghai Zoo

There are two major things in the zoo that might surprise or upset a visitor to the Shanghai Zoo. The first is the state of some of the enclosures, especially the indoor ones. While things have improved a lot, there's still room for improvement.

We were surprised to see a Giant Panda sitting happily munching on a pile of bamboo in a dank, gray concrete cell with the paint peeling off. Since the Panda is one of the biggest draws to the zoo, one would think they'd take better care of its enclosure.

We did have a few issues during our visit, the first being the state of some of the enclosures, especially the indoor ones. While things have improved a lot, there's still room for improvement. We were surprised to see a Giant Panda sitting very happily munching on a pile of bamboo in a dank, gray concrete cell with the paint peeling off. Since the Panda is one of the biggest draws to the zoo, one would think they'd take better care of its enclosure.

The second upsetting thing will be the feeding and general bothering of the animals by visitors. You will be surprised to see local visitors flinging all sorts of food at the animals. Visitors trying to take good animal photos will tap on the glass and yell at the animals. While signs are posted in Chinese advising against this practice, it is totally ignored. The giraffe enclosure is a prime place to see visitors throwing food over the fence. For some reason, the park staff seems to ignore this behavior.

Aside from these two things, we think you'll be overall happy with your visit to the zoo as will any kids who are along with you. It's a nice place to spend the day outdoors and you'll get plenty of exercises because the zoo is rather large.